Just One Chance
by Her Pretty Smile
Summary: —[Canon-based] After being informed of the Academy's decision to erase her memories, Mikan found herself wandering in the school grounds. There, she discovered a bag full of alice stones, and just as she picked up an unusual one, she was suddenly brought to another world familiar to her—the past. Now, she has a chance to be able to make things right as it should be. [Ongoing]
1. ღChapter 1: The Beginning of A Changeღ

**Just One Chance**  
by Her Pretty Smile

* * *

**Synopsis:** After being informed of the Academy's decision to erase her memories, Mikan found herself wandering in the school grounds, feeling sullen and sad. But then, when she sat on a tree stump, she discovered a suspicious-looking bag full of alice stones just beside her leg. However, just as she picked up an unusual one that caught her eye, she was suddenly sucked into darkness and brought to another world familiar to her—the _past_. Now, she has a chance, just _one_ chance for her to be able to make things right as it should be. And she wasn't going to ruin the opportunity given to her. [Ongoing]

**Warning:** This is unbeta-ed. May contain mistakes or errors or any of the sort.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Gakuen Alice.

**Authoress' Note:** WAIT! Before you suddenly sue me of plagiarism, please let me introduce myself first. I am the one and only author of this story 'Another Chance'. I'm Ai-chan. It's me, you guys! This is my new account. :3 See? I didn't abandon this story, you guys! :)

For those who don't know me, well... the better! :)

Also, there are some references here to the manga, of course. Sorry if they seem annoying, but they're vital for this story. I'll be making adjustments, though, so that it won't be messy.

Sooo, here it is! Has been revised and proofread and edited by none other than myself. :3

* * *

**Just One Chance**  
Chapter 1  
**The Beginning of A Change**

* * *

_SEVERAL VOICES EXPLAINED THEIR decision to her._

"_Mikan, regarding you who lost your alice, we have to tell you our decisions on what will happen in the future."_

"_After all the preparations are done, all your memories in the academy will be erased."_

"_Under the protection of the middle school principal's barrier, you will leave the academy and return to your grandfather. You would live on with the life you once lived before. No alices. No Hotaru. No Natsume. You would never remember their existence. Or anything and anyone connected to the academy for that matter."_

_She was aghast. "Why? Why my memories? These memories you talked about, does it refer to the memories I have of everyone here?"_ _The gravity of the situation came crashing down on her immediately. "All my memories will be forgotten? If so, what about the memories of my dad? And even to those of my mother? Everyone..." Tears welled up in her eyes._ "_No! Don't remove my memories of all those important to me! I will do anything! Please! Just don't take my memories away from me. I beg you..._ _Please..."_

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

WHEN MIKAN OPENED HER eyes, the soft brightness of her room instantly clouded her vision. Blinking rapidly yet wearily, she sat up and rubbed her eyes.

Narumi wasn't there. It seemed that he'd decided to leave her alone with her thoughts after rendering her unconscious.

After stretching her arms, the first thing Mikan wanted to do was to go for a walk to clear her thoughts. So much had happened these past few days. Ever since Luna took the ESP with her, ever since Natsume's death, and ever since Hotaru's disappearance along with her brother and Nodacchi, she hadn't been able to sleep very well nor dream.

Her head felt like it was literally about to break. The wheels spinning inside it were on the verge of collapsing; she couldn't think properly and her body was shaking.

But there was still a flicker of hope inside her, a belief that things would turn out all right in the end.

And if things still weren't all right, then it wasn't the end yet.

After walking around for a few minutes, she discovered a tree stump and sat on it, her thoughts reverting towards Hotaru.

_Imai Hotaru_. Mikan's best friend who promised her that she would bring Natsume back no matter what it took. But how many days had passed? Maybe even weeks had gone by.

And still, Hotaru hadn't come back.

_Where was she?_

_What happened?_

Mikan could only make one guess.

Hotaru was still finding a way.

But what would happen to her if she succeeded?

_I can't hold the promise I made with Hotaru anymore, _Mikan thought in despair, burying her face in her hands. _After leaving this academy, the promise to wait and to look for Natsume..._

_I can't do it anymore._

Hot tears slid down her cheeks. She made no move to wipe them away for she deemed it unnecessary.

_What should I do? Mom? Dad? Please help me… What should I do?_

At that moment, her leg hit something beside the tree stump when she tried to shift into a more comfortable position and she yelped in surprise. Instinctively, she looked down below and saw an odd-looking paper bag. She stared at it curiously as she went down from where she sat and grabbed it. When she finally opened it, though, Mikan was taken aback of what she saw inside.

"Alice stones?" Mikan wondered aloud. "I wonder why this bag is here. Who would leave it here, anyway?"

Mikan turned her head left and right to search for someone who might be looking for it, but she found no one in sight.

Wiping away her tears, she curiously took out a rainbow-colored alice stone and brightened a bit at its prettiness. "This is an unusual stone!" she exclaimed. "Is there even something like this? I wonder what this does." She carefully examined the stone, fully admiring its beautiful color.

Suddenly, she felt her whole body spinning, spinning round and round and slowly being sucked inside a void full of darkness.

_W—What's happening?_

She felt cold all over, then hot. She felt scared, then paralyzed.

Her mind was full of panicked thoughts and she couldn't calm down.

_What… What is this feeling? I feel like I'm being pulled away!_

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

HER VISION BLURRED, AND she hastily blinked it away.

But the moment her eyes adjusted, the first thing she saw was a black limo and people crowding around it, their expressions clearly that of amazement.

Amidst the crowd, one particular dark, short-haired girl caught her attention. She was standing right in front of Mikan, staring at her with a blank expression on her face.

"Ho—Hotaru?" Mikan cried out, finally realizing who the person was. She was engulfed by the desire to run and embrace her best friend and cry on her shoulder and ask her questions like '_Where were you all this time?' _and_ 'Why did you return just now?', _but before she could take a single step forward, another realization stopped her from doing so.

How did they both get here? She could barely recognize the place. And wasn't she in the forest just a little while ago?

_What's going on? Why is Hotaru suddenly in front of me?_

Her eyes widened._ Wait. Hold on a sec!_

"Hotaru, why do you look so..." Mikan couldn't find the best word to describe it.

Her best friend was getting impatient from waiting for her to finish. "So _what_?" Hotaru said in annoyance, urging Mikan to say it already. She didn't have the time to sit around and wait for the continuation of her sentence. Those agents standing beside the parked car were waiting for her. Even the driver, Tominaga, was looking at her from the car's rearview mirror.

The words came out of Mikan's lips before she could think twice. "So... _little_?"

Hotaru's eyes narrowed. "You know, just because I'm short doesn't mean you have the right to point it out on my face with everyone around. We are _both_ ten years old. And in case you don't know, _I _am the one who is _taller_ compared to you."

Mikan gaped at her. "_Ten years old_?! What's going on here? This is all too weird!" Out of reflex, she immediately stared at her hands, her body, and her feet.

_I'm... ten years old again? _Mikan thought, her eyes wide with disbelief. _Wha—? But aren't I supposed to be _12?

Hotaru studied her intently, apparently noticing her state of disarray. "Mikan? What's wrong?"

"Hotaru..." Mikan's voice trailed off.

"Look, just hurry up and say what you want to say already before I go."

"Go?" Mikan said, confused. "Go where?"

Hotaru's eyes narrowed further in suspicion. "Mikan, if this is a joke, please stop it now."

"I'm not joking!" Mikan said, almost exasperated at the calm, annoyed aura Hotaru was emitting. Her head started to ache; it was already feeling the effects of information overload. "I just don't understand what's happening right now! I was just looking at an alice stone and suddenly I was whirled into this place—…" Her voice trailed off again, this time in realization.

_Wait a minute. Maybe… Maybe this is the _past!_ Maybe that alice stone was a time-travel alice, just like Nodacchi's! No wonder this scene feels like _déjà vu...

Hotaru's eyes widened when she heard the words _'alice stone_.'

"Hotaru!" Mikan said suddenly, her eyes blazing with determination. "You're going to Gakuen Alice, right?"

"Yes. I said that in the tortoise mail I sent you," Hotaru replied, studying Mikan intently and wondering how she could've known about alice stones.

"Then…" Mikan began, looking at her best friend with a bright smile on her face, "_Let's go together_!"

* * *

**END** _of_ **CHAPTER 1**  
TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

**A/N:** So this is now the revised edition! :) Hope you guys like it. The next chapter will come on either Saturday or Monday, so stay tuned.


	2. ღChapter 2: Gakuen Aliceღ

**-;-**

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**Just One Chance**  
Chapter 2  
**Gakuen Alice**

* * *

THE COOL BREEZE SWEPT through the streets, making Mikan shiver a little. But her gaze was still unwavering and steady on Hotaru, nervously waiting for her reply.

Hotaru, on the other hand, was caught off guard by Mikan's declaration.

"Mikan…" she said slowly after regaining her composure, her dark eyes probing. "Do you even know what the school is?"

"Of course I do," Mikan said in her best confident voice. "The school shelters people who have an alice and keeps them there to contribute to society."

An expression of surprise crossed Hotaru's features for only a moment before it faded as quickly as it came. "How do you know that? I'm positive that I hadn't mentioned that to you before."

Mikan's smile froze on her face._ I'm such an idiot! I should've played dumb or else Hotaru will suspect me! Idiot, idiot, _idiot_!_

"Mikan?"

The wheels in Mikan's brain started to whirl rapidly. "Oh, I just read something about it!" she covered up, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice.

Hotaru didn't look convinced. "Uh huh…"

"Hotaru!" Mikan said, pouting. "How could you not believe me?"

"I do believe you," Hotaru said flatly, yet there was no mistaking the hint of skepticism in her voice. "That's just your imagination."

Mikan instantly changed the subject, sensing trouble if she dwelled on it any further. "Ne, ne, can I go with you? Huh? Please?"

Hotaru turned to the chauffeur. "Tominaga-san?"

"Hai, Imai-san?"

"Can she go with us?"

The man looked unsure. "I don't know… Does she have an alice?"

"Oh, I do!" Mikan said enthusiastically. "I have the nullification alice!"

She knew that she would never tell them about her other two alices.

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

"YOU KNOW, YOU NEVER told me you had an alice," Hotaru remarked slowly, staring at Mikan suspiciously.

Mikan laughed nervously. "Well, uh… I just found out yesterday. It… It was so cool!"

Hotaru had a blank expression on her face. "Oh, okay."

Mikan glanced at her.

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

"_IF IT'S US, NO matter how long it takes, we will meet again. We have a bond that couldn't be broken by something like this. Just like how it was until now… And how it will be from now on._

"_Mikan… With the thought of you doing your best… From now on, whatever happens, I, too, can do my best._ _Smile like you always do. Because that will be our strength._ _Go and tread the path that you believe in, Mikan…_

"_I love you._ _No matter how far apart we are, our hearts will always be together."_

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

_THE ONE WHO SAID all these to me_, Mikan thought wistfully, _is the person right here beside me._

_Oh, Hotaru. I miss you so much._

"We're here," the chauffeur announced. "Gakuen Alice."

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

MIKAN AND HOTARU GOT out of the car, staring at the school.

"So this is Gakuen Alice," Hotaru said flatly. "I never knew it was this big."

"_Sugoii_~" Mikan gushed, grinning in wonder. _It looked a little different in the future, but I just can't get over on how it's so wide!_

Tominaga walked over to a man nearby and started talking to him. Then, he gestured the two over.

"These are the two new students I've brought," he explained when Hotaru and Mikan went over to him. "Can you bring them their uniforms, sensei?"

"Of course," the man said, smiling. "Thanks for bringing them, Tominaga-san."

"Sure, Narumi-sensei," Tominaga said. Then he left, leaving Hotaru and Mikan alone with the teacher.

"Sooo…" Narumi said, turning to them with sparkles in his eyes. "Can you tell me your names?"

Mikan was staring at him, her eyes also sparkling with the same intensity. _Narumi-sensei! I'm so glad to see you!_

"Imai Hotaru," Hotaru said monotonously.

"Sakura Mikan!" The smile on Mikan's face never wavered.

Narumi was glad to see such enthusiasm coming from her and was a bit bothered by the lack of it from Hotaru. Nevertheless, he led them to a room and gave them their uniforms.

"Here," he said, smiling. "You two can change in here. I'll wait outside."

After they finished changing, Narumi knocked on the door.

"Ah, Imai-san? The Elementary School Principal is calling you and I also need to report to him about your enrollment. Are you two finished?"

"Hai!" Mikan said.

_The ESP..._ she thought, her eyes set with determination.

When Narumi entered the room, he was carrying an unconscious boy in his arms. Hotaru stared at Narumi inquisitively, whereas Mikan was staring at the boy with something in her eyes.

"Ah, this is Natsume-kun," Narumi explained. "He broke a rule, so I gave him a little punishment."

_Natsume! _Mikan thought, immense relief spreading across her body. _Natsume…_

Narumi placed Natsume on the couch and turned to Hotaru. "Imai-san, let's go. Sakura-san, do you mind waiting in here for a while?"

Mikan blinked. "Eh? Wait… _here_? With…"

"Don't worry, don't worry. He won't be getting up for a while," Narumi said reassuringly. "But if he _does_ wake up, just press that emergency button over there. We'll be back as fast as we can."

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

_MOM, DAD… IT SEEMS that fate is playing a trick on me._

Mikan stared at Natsume, studying his face. He had on a serene, relaxed expression and was definitely knocked out.

_I bet Narumi-sensei used his alice on him again…_ Mikan thought. _He looks so peaceful when he's sleeping… Just like that time in New Year…_

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

"_YOU… WHAT ARE YOU doing?" Mikan asked almost breathlessly as she went slightly rigid at his proximity._

_But Natsume didn't let her go and mumbled,_ "_When it ends tomorrow, I'll return you immediately to Ruka. Just be quiet."_

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

MIKAN BLUSHED. _WHY DID I suddenly think about that?_

Natsume stirred. Mikan jolted and prepared herself for the hard tug on her hair.

It didn't happen. Mikan sighed in relief. _I thought he woke up. Silly me…_

Then she felt it.

A hard tug on her hair, then the harsh feeling of being plopped forcibly on the couch.

"Oww!" _That Natsume! So he was planning to catch me off guard huh? Clever… Just clever…_

"Oi," Natsume said roughly. "Answer me in five seconds. If you don't, I'll burn your hair. _Who are you_?"

Mikan froze.

_Absolute déjà vu!_

At that moment, the window opened and a blond-haired boy with blue eyes came inside the room through it.

_Ruka-pyon!_ Mikan thought, startled. _Hey, wait a minute… In the past, didn't he crash in through the window?*_

"Ruka?" Natsume said, loosening his grip slightly on Mikan's hair. "What are you doing here?"

Ruka stared at Mikan, who was being pinned on the couch by Natsume. "Uh… Well… I just came to see how you were doing…"

Natsume glanced at the direction Ruka was staring at. "Oh, _her_? She was here when I woke up. She refuses to reveal her identity."

"Is she an alice?"

"No clue." Natsume glared at her. "Oi, speak up! Who are you?"

Mikan glared back and stuck out her tongue at him. "No way I'm telling _you_!"

A vein popped on Natsume's forehead. "Why you…"

Ruka's eyes widened. "Uh, Natsume…"

Mikan could feel him using his alice on her, but she knew that it would have no effect. _Take that_, she thought smugly. _That's payback for grabbing me by the hair!_

Suddenly, at that moment, a gust of wind coming from the open window blew on Mikan's skirt, showing her underwear.

Mikan's eyes widened and her body froze completely in place.

Then, at the top of her lungs, she screamed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

_Ho—How can this be?! And I thought that I could change the way Natsume was calling me! Why? WHY? Why _me_?!_

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

BOTH NARUMI AND HOTARU heard it at the same time.

"Mikan," Hotaru said, instantly running off.

"Geez, what did Natsume do to her?" Narumi mumbled, following Hotaru.

When they reached the room, they hurriedly opened the door and found Natsume and Ruka standing near the window (Natsume went over to Ruka when Mikan screamed) and staring at the latter who was still on the couch and was shaking all over.

"Natsume! Ruka! What did you guys do?" Narumi demanded.

Natsume ignored him and started to escape through the window. But before that, he turned his head towards Mikan.

"See ya, polka dot panties." After that, he and Ruka went out through the window.

Narumi and Hotaru froze.

"No… NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Mikan cried out. _WHY? Why am I so unfortunate?_

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

"NATSUME?" RUKA SAID HESITANTLY.

"What is it?"

Ruka lowered his head slightly, averting his gaze "...It's nothing."

Natsume glanced at him.

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

_"By the way, Natsume… How did you find this place?"_

_He stared at her. "Huh? It's because you were calling me, right? That's how."_

_A puzzled look came across her face. "Huh…? I wasn't calling you or anything, you know? I don't remember I did."_

_"I felt that you were calling out strongly for me," he explained slowly, "that's why I made it here."_

_She blushed furiously. "Well… It's not completely untrue though…"_

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

NATSUME STOPPED IN HIS tracks.

"Natsume?" Ruka inquired with a concerned look on his face. "What's wrong?"

Natsume looked confused for a moment, then he shook his head. "It's nothing. I just thought I heard some voices."

* * *

**END** _of_ **CHAPTER 2**  
TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

*****If you are also wondering about that, then it's because Mikan came together with Hotaru to the school when in the manga, Mikan came to the school after half a year. So, in this case Natsume just broke a rule and was punished for it. Ruka, who was still a sweet guy before the series, then came to see him.

**A/N:** Finished revising. Now, I am on to the next chapter. Wish me luck. ;)


	3. ღChapter 3: The Other Alicesღ

**-;-**

* * *

**Just One Chance**  
Chapter 3  
**The Other Alices**

* * *

"MIKAN-CHAN, IT'S NOT THAT big of a deal…" Narumi said, trying to calm the brunette down. "Besides, when you grow up, you'll do much more than that."

Hotaru glared at him. "Oi, don't teach those kind of things to us ten-year-olds, you pervert."

The word '_pervert_' struck Narumi's chest. _Hard_. "I—Imai-san… I wasn't teaching it to you… I was just saying…"

Hotaru ignored him and turned to Mikan. "And _you_, why were you showing your underwear to boys your age?"

"I didn't show it to them!" Mikan cried. "The wind just blew on my skirt!"

Hotaru didn't look convinced. "Uh huh…"

"Hotaruu!"

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

"CLASS, THIS IS IMAI Hotaru and Sakura Mikan. They will be your new classmates from now on!" Narumi announced to the class. "Please do take care of them!"

Hotaru started to find an empty seat. Mikan followed her.

_Hmm… Ah, I see one!_ She walked over to the empty seat two tables behind Hotaru and sat there. She then turned to her seatmate and smiled. "Hello! I'm Sakura Mikan. Please take care—"

She found herself staring into a pair of crimson eyes.

"—of me," she finished lamely.

"Oh," Natsume said flatly. "It's _you_."

Mikan's eyes grew as wide as saucers._ Natsume! _"W—Why are _you _here?" she stammered.

"Because I sit here, duh."

_Aargh! Wiseguy!_

"Is there anyone here who'd like to volunteer as Imai's partner? Her partner has to show her around the school, guide her, those kind of stuff," Narumi announced.

No one raised his hand.

"No one?" Narumi sighed. "Oh, well… It looks like I'm gonna have to pick." His eyes scurried the room. "_Nogi Ruka_."

Ruka's eyes widened. "M—Me?"

A girl stood up from her seat defiantly. "Ne, why does it have to be Ruka-kun, sensei?"

Narumi smiled. "Well, because Ruka-kun is nice, he can tolerate Imai's aloof attitude."

"There are some nice boys here other than Ruka-kun," Sumire protested. "_Why him_?"

"I've already said it, haven't I?" Narumi said, still smiling. "Now, please sit, Sumire-chan."

Sumire obeyed reluctantly.

"Okay, now for Mikan-chan's partner…" Narumi looked around. "Is there anyone who'd like to volunteer?"

And again, no one raised his hand.

"Oh well…" Narumi sighed. "Mikan-chan, your partner will be…"

_Let me guess…_ Mikan thought, pouting.

"Hyuuga Natsume."

_I knew it… _She sulked._ Even if I came half a year early, it's still the same…_

"_What_?!" Sumire protested, standing up again. "First Ruka-kun, and now it's Natsume-kun?"

The rest of the class murmured to each other.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you two," Narumi said. "Imai, Sakura, you two will stay here after class. We will give you a test to determine your star rank."

_Oh right!_ Mikan thought. _I was a no-star back then… Well, I won't allow it to happen again! Once was enough!_

An aura of determination spread around her. Hotaru felt it and smiled a little.

_That idiot…_

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

"_DO YOU KNOW ABOUT the forms of ability?" Nodacchi asked._

"_NOPE~!" Mikan said with enthusiasm._

"_Alices have four forms. The first form only works during the alice's childhood. The second form has little power, but lasts for a long time. The third form: the power may be explosive, but its life span is very short. The fourth form is the rarest. The power is unlimited, but every time it's used, it harms the user. These four types are known as the forms of ability."_

"_Of course," Nodacchi continued. "The strength of different abilities differ… Most of the time, star classes are dependent upon them. Now, not only must you plan on how to raise your ability, you must also figure out your form of ability. That is your homework."_

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

_My form of ability…_ Mikan thought solemnly. _It's the third form… I must learn how to use my alice at the right time before it disappears completely…_

She glanced at Natsume. _Natsume… This time, I promise I will never, ever let you die. I will protect you._

At that moment, Natsume jolted. Mikan stared at him, her eyes wide.

_W—What…? Why did he…_ She suddenly somehow knew the answer. _The Telepathy alice…? Oh no!_

Natsume raised a hand to his head, his expression troubled. He had no idea why he kept on hearing voices inside his mind. He knew that it wasn't his own thoughts. It was someone else's.

_But who?_

_Who is that person?_

_Who has such an alice?_

And, unconsciously, his eyes rested on Mikan.

Mikan, on the other hand, was panicking. She knew she had to be careful. She had to keep her being a time-traveler from everyone, even from Hotaru.

She had to protect everyone from the ESP. And she had to rely on her own strength, her own strong will.

She then pondered on how she got the Telepathy alice.

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

_AS MIKAN WAS CHANGING, she felt something inside her pocket. Unfortunately, Hotaru was complaining at her for being so slow, so she just shrugged it off and continued to change at a faster pace._

_But all she could remember about it was that she felt that her hand brushed on a couple of round things._

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

_Could it be that…_ Mikan thought, horrified. _Those were the alice stones from the future?! I brought them with me? They just… inserted inside my body?_

_Then… That means… I've gained new alices?_

Mikan thought hard. _Hmm… So, if I use my temporary alices, then I won't have to worry about my three original alices! I can still preserve them when the time comes._

_I will never let them disappear. Not until it's time._

Mikan sighed in relief having solved her own problem. She then accidentally turned her head towards her right and saw the intense stare Natsume was giving her.

"W—What are you looking at?" Mikan said, completely surprised by the unexpected attention from him. _Him_, of all people.

Then she remembered the Telepathy alice.

Natsume glared at her. "Oi, polka dots."

_Wah?!_ Mikan hated the nickname, but she couldn't deny the fact that she missed it just a _little_ bit. "Hey! Don't call me that! Nasty fox!" she said.

Natsume's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, then it was replaced by an intense glare.

Mikan flinched._ I… think I made him mad… Again…_

_He hates that nickname so much?_

Mikan suddenly thought of something. Something _evil_.

_Hmm… It's worth a try!_

"Ne, Nat-su-me," Mikan said, emphasizing the syllables slowly. "Could it be that… You hate that cute nickname I gave you?"

His expression read, '_say another word and you're dead meat_'.

Mikan smiled evilly, cackling inwardly as she realized that this was the perfect moment to get back at him for all the horrible things he'd done to her back then. "Hmm… I don't think you do! Besides, from what I see, you really _looove_ that nickname, right? Want me to call you that again? I don't really mind, you kno—" Mikan stopped abruptly when she realized the danger she's in.

A vein popped on Natsume's forehead. "…"

Mikan could feel a dangerous aura coming from him and sweated profusely. In her vision, Natsume seemed to be seething with anger, his crimson eyes glowing like red jack-o'-lanterns.

_It's a bit exaggerated, but what I do know is that he's really mad now!_

"E—Etto… Na—Natsume, I—I didn't mean…" Mikan yelped as fire began to conjure up on her sleeve. "Hey! What are you doing?! You… _You fox_!" She began to use her nullification alice when she suddenly remembered her promise.

_Wait… Wait… I shouldn't use it now. I should use my other alices._

Mikan began to get nervous. _But… I don't know what kind of alice I have other than my three original ones! Oh, Mom, Dad… What am I going to do?_

The whole class crowded around her now. Ruka looked horrified while Hotaru had a blank expression on her face, as always.

Tobita Yuu, the class representative, was saying something like, '_Stop it, Natsume-san_!'.

Then she felt her sleeve grow wet. She glanced at it and gasped.

_Water?_

_But… Water can't extinguish Natsume's fire, right?_

_Who threw water on my sleeve?_

Natsume's eyes widened. "You…"

"W—What happened…? Why… How…" Mikan stammered.

Natsume's expression turned serious. "You have a water alice?"

Mikan's eyes grew wide. _W—Water alice?_

_Okay, Mikan. Calm down. Just play along with him!_

_But… Wait a second… Then that means… I was the one who put Natsume's fire out?_

"Uh, yeah. I… _I do_."

* * *

**END** _of_ **CHAPTER 3**  
TO BE CONTINUED


	4. ღChapter 4: The Star Rank Testღ

**Just One Chance**  
Chapter 4  
**The Star Rank Test**

* * *

_NODACCHI'S VOICE ECHOED THROUGHOUT the room. "The fourth type: in exchange for having a limitless alice… The person's lifespan is shortened whenever they use their power…"_

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

MIKAN JOLTED UPRIGHT, SUDDENLY remembering how possibly alarming the situation was.

_Hold on… Natsume… Natsume isn't _supposed_ to use his alice for useless things like this!_

She then turned to the one boy she loved, the one who made her feel like floating, the one who had always loved her smiles, the one who'd proposed to her that time on the balcony with the moon as their witness…

He was the only boy she had ever fallen deeply in love with.

The only one who broke her heart when he died without warning.

And now, here he was, bewildered by her advantage to his alice.

_Fire and Water._

"Natsume…" Mikan said slowly but surely, her voice dripping with concern. "You… shouldn't use your alice too often."

"What do you care?" he said flatly, staring straight into her eyes, challenging her.

Mikan stared back, her determination getting the better of her. "I _do_ care," she said. "Because…"

He raised an eyebrow. "Because…?"

Mikan averted her stare. "Because…"

_Because I love you._

Natsume's eyes widened.

Mikan instantly froze. _The… The Telepathy alice… I f—forgot…_

"What was that just now?" she heard Natsume mutter. His right hand was plastered on his forehead as if he was having a headache.

Desperate to keep his mind off her sudden telepathic confession, she lifted his chin up, causing him to be face to face with her. She gave him a big, cheerful smile.

"Because you're my _partner_!" she said happily. "Besides, partners have to care for each other, right? Whether it's one-sided or not!"

Natsume looked flustered for a moment, but then his uncaring expression returned to his face. He slapped her hand away from his chin, causing her to have a hurt expression on her face for a fraction of a second. "I don't care if we're partners or not. Just go away."

"Eh? That's rude," Mikan said, feeling relieved. _He's forgotten about it!_ "Ne, Natsume, wanna give me a tour around school?"

"Do it yourself." He walked away, leaving Mikan blazing with fury.

_Why you! _Mikan thought furiously._ Natsume, I swear—I love you or not—I'm gonna make you wish you were never rude to me in the first place! You nasty fox!_

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

"TIME FOR THE TEST!" Narumi announced cheerfully. "Are you two ready?"

"_Hai_!" Mikan cried out enthusiastically.

"What is the test all about?" Hotaru asked.

"Well, all you two have to do is to go to the Northern Woods—"

"The Northern Woods?" Mikan blurted out. _I can get to see Bear-san?_

"Just in case, I'm going to have the class representative, Tobita Yuu, accompany you two. All you will have to do is to go to the deepest part of the forest and leave a footprint there. It's that simple." Narumi ran a hand through his hair, looking thoughtful. "If you'll succeed, then it's likely that you'll get to become a two-star."

"I've been meaning to ask this earlier, but I didn't get the chance to speak to you, sensei," Hotaru said with mild interest in her tone. "What is a star rank?"

"A star rank," Narumi explained, "is the evaluation system that the academy uses to judge the students' alice levels and attitudes.

"There are four levels," he continued, "which are indicated by the number of gold stars. Starting from top to bottom, 'triple' with three stars, followed by 'double' and 'single'. 'Nothing' is mainly reserved for very small children. Furthermore, there is a superior level called 'special'. It's reserved for the genius of geniuses, and is extremely rare. They are admired by all alices. In addition, the kind of treatment you'll receive at school and in the dorm will depend on which star rank you are at."

Something flashed in Hotaru's eyes. Mikan took just one look at her and guessed what she was thinking.

_Hotaru is going to aim for the 'special' rank. That sparkle in her eyes is _unmistakable_!_

Mikan smiled. _I really miss Natsume, but I miss my bestfriend too. Oh, Hotaru, I'm so glad I got to see you, even if you're ten years old…_

"Oh, and by the way," Narumi said, grinning. Somehow, Mikan felt that something unusual was going to happen, so she prepared herself for the worst. "Since you two are new to this school, I will let your partners go with you to the forest and accompany you."

_Eh?!_ Mikan thought, gaping at him. _Natsume is coming? Even Ruka-pyon?_

_Oh wow… I think I'm dreaming right now…_

As if on cue, the door opened to reveal Natsume, his face grim, and Ruka, looking uncomfortable.

Hotaru glanced at them.

"Who are you two again?" she asked.

"Did you forget already, Hotaru?" Mikan said, bewildered. "Narumi-sensei just introduced them, our partners, in class earlier!"

"I forgot because I didn't think that it would be important for me to remember," Hotaru replied in a flat matter-of-fact tone.

Narumi gave a nervous laugh. "Well… The boy with dark hair and red eyes is Hyuuga Natsume-kun while the blond boy with blue eyes is Nogi Ruka-kun, your partner, Imai-san."

"Oh. Okay," Hotaru said, clearly not interested. Then she stared at Narumi inquisitively. "Sensei, I thought that the class representative will be the one to accompany us."

"I changed my mind," Narumi said, smiling.

Hotaru made a pokerface.

"Well then!" Narumi said cheerfully, trying to brighten the atmosphere. "Are you four ready to go?"

"_Hai_!" Mikan said with enthusiasm in her voice.

The other three were deathly silent. Mikan sighed.

_Looks like I'm the only one who's happy about this arrangement…_ she thought, looking at Hotaru.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Hotaru said flatly. "Let's go, idiot."

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

AS THE FOUR OF them walked silently in the woods, Mikan felt like suffocating.

_The silence is unbearable_, she thought. Then, determination suddenly sparked inside her. _Okay! I'll try to break this tense atmosphere!_

"Ne, ne," Mikan said with sparkles in her eyes. "They say that there are a lot of strange things in this forest. Is that true, Ruka-pyon?"

Ruka's eyes went wide in surprise. Mikan blinked, wondering why that was so.

_Why does he look like that? Is it because he's wondering how I knew about it?_ Realization suddenly dawned on her the next moment._ It's because I called him Ruka-_pyon_! I'm such an idiot! I'd better cover this up right away!_

"If you're wondering why I called you that… It's because…" She spotted the rabbit in his arms and pointed at it. "It's because you always carry that rabbit around! Yes, that's right!"

Ruka blinked, a little confused, but he answered anyway. "Not much… It's mostly just a teddy bear chopping wood. That thing's probably the only one that's strange in this forest since…"

A leaf fell down from a tree and landed on Ruka's forehead, causing him to not finish his sentence.

Hotaru was staring at him, interested.

"Since what?" she asked.

"Since it was made a long time ago by a student here who has the alice to create spirits in dolls and stuffed animals," Ruka continued, taking the leaf away from his forehead. "The first teddy bear that the person made was rumored to be that bear…"

_PLUNCK._

"What was that sound?" Mikan wondered aloud, completely clueless.

"There's the strange thing." Hotaru pointed to Bear, who stared at them, still holding an axe.

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

"HEY, NARU," YAMADA SERINA said while looking at her crystal ball. "Isn't this a little too dangerous? Why should we use the Northern Woods to test them? What if something happens?"

"If something happens," Narumi said, looking thoughtful. "We are always ready to help them. Besides, that girl…"

"The one with short, dark hair?"

"No." Narumi's gaze seemed to be far away. "The other girl. The brunette."

"Is there something special about her?"

"I heard from Tominaga-san that she holds the nullification alice."

There was a look of recognition on Serina's face. "The same as _him_, huh?"

"Yeah…" Narumi took a sip of his tea. "She also has a water alice. And, she's not just some student."

Serina looked at him.

"She may be the 'key' to the future of everyone, and especially of Natsume…"

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

"THE TEDDY BEAR'S MOVING all by itself," Hotaru remarked flatly. "…It almost looks like it's alive."

"Uh, you two," Ruka said, backing away slowly. "You'd better get away from that bear…"

"_Bear-san_!" Mikan cried out happily, not seeming to hear Ruka's warning.

"Mikan. I think you need to know that that thing isn't a real, inanimate teddy bear for you to play with…" Hotaru warned lightly.

"I know!" Mikan said, kneeling down before Bear. "Nice to meet you, Bear-san!"

Bear got ready to punch her socks off.

"Ah, ah, ah," Mikan said, grinning. "Touch a hair on me and I'll use my water alice on you."

Its fist suspended in mid-attack.

"Now that's a good boy!" Mikan said, hugging Bear. "Aaww… You're soo _kawaii_~"

_She's treating it like a dog..._ Hotaru thought with a pokerface.

"Oi, polka dots."

"What now, you nasty fox?" Mikan said, determined to annoy him.

As expected, he looked _really_ annoyed. "That bear looks like it's going to punch you any minute now," he remarked. "Let go of it already. You're being given a test. The time limit is only twenty-four hours."

"Aaw, Natsumee~" Mikan said, looking extremely touched. "You're worried about me?"

Natsume ignored her. "Dream on, polka dots. Now hurry up, will you?"

Mikan pouted. "Fine, fine!" She let go of Bear and waved at him. "Bye bye, Bear-san! See you again!"

As they were walking, Hotaru turned to Mikan. "You handled that bear well," she said. "How did you know that water is its weakness?"

Mikan laughed nervously. "Well… Uh… I figured that… Because it's made of cloth and wood chips, then…"

"Okay, I get it," Hotaru interrupted.

Mikan changed the subject. "Ne, Hotaru, it's getting a bit dark. Do you think you can use your alice to make us a tent?"

Hotaru didn't say anything, but Mikan knew that she would do it.

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

"THIS TENT IS CRAMPED," Mikan remarked, struggling to breathe. "How can we sleep in here?"

Hotaru zipped open the tent and went outside. "I won't be sleeping in here," she said. "I have my own sleeping bag."

_W—Wait a minute…_ Mikan thought, her eyes widening in realization. _That means… I'll be sleeping with Natsume and Ruka-pyon?_

"Hotaru! You meanie!" Mikan cried out. "How can you leave me in here?"

_I just can't sleep with two boys! I'm not used to that!_ Mikan thought despairingly.

"Oi," Natsume said, looking annoyed. "Shut up. I'm trying to sleep here."

"Fine!" Mikan said, lying down. "I'm going to go to sleep!"

Ruka looked at her, hesitating to lie down beside her.

But in the end, because of sleepiness, he laid down beside her, but made sure that he kept a distance between them.

Mikan noticed this and smiled.

_I miss you, too, Ruka-pyon._

_Ever since Natsume died, you seemed to be a bit withdrawn, like you still couldn't believe that your bestfriend is dead._

_Well, this time, I promise you that I would never let that happen. Not when I'm still alive._

Then she closed her eyes and dreamed of happy endings, hope for the academy to be saved, and Natsume.

* * *

**END** _of_ **CHAPTER 4**  
TO BE CONTINUED


	5. ღChapter 5: The Brief Adventureღ

**Just One Chance**  
Chapter 5  
**The Brief Adventure**

* * *

THE SUN SHONE BRIGHTLY the next day. The clouds were floating, the birds were singing, the morning breeze was cool and brisk…

Overall, it seemed like such a nice day.

But unfortunately, it was the opposite for Mikan.

When she woke up, she found herself face-to-face with Natsume, his hot breath tickling her skin. Their faces were so close; the strands of his hair reached her cheeks, his scent was a bit sweet and soapy like he had just taken a bath…

Mikan suddenly turned red in the face. _What kind of position is this?!_

When she tried to get away from Natsume, she realized that she couldn't move. A pair of arms was encircled around her waist, hugging her tightly as if she were a stuffed toy.

Mikan's eyes widened as she saw that it was _Ruka_.

_Ruka-pyon?! Wh—What are you doing? Is this the way you sleep? _Mikan panicked. _What am I going to do? What should I do in this kind of situation? Someone please help me…_

Natsume stirred. Mikan stared at him, frozen. He slowly opened his eyes and she watched as the current situation sunk inside his brain.

He immediately got away from her. "What the…?" he said, suddenly wide awake.

Then he saw Ruka who was still hugging Mikan.

His expression was something that Mikan couldn't explain. It was like a combination of bewilderment and surprise, but because he always looked either angry or expressionless, she couldn't be so sure.

At that moment, Ruka opened his eyes, looking a little groggy from sleep.

But when he saw the situation that he was in, he was suddenly _very_ wide awake.

"_Ah_!" He immediately let go of Mikan whose face was very red at the moment. "I—I'm sorry, I didn't mean to… I…"

"That was an interesting position," a very familiar voice said.

Mikan was suddenly filled with dread. She slowly turned her head towards the source.

"Good thing I brought a camera," Hotaru said with a glint in her eye.

"Ho—Hotaru…" Mikan said slowly, looking horrified. "…Did you picture us while we were still sleeping?"

"Yeah," she said nonchalantly. "I especially admired the way it looked like a love triangle."

Mikan, Natsume, and Ruka froze in their places.

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

"HOTARUU!" MIKAN YELLED, CHASING after her best friend. "Stop right there! I will _not_ ever let you blackmail me with those pictures you took! _Ever_! I won't let you!"

Hotaru was quietly running away, unlike Mikan whose movements and voice were too loud. "I certainly feel like these pictures would come in handy…" she muttered happily.

Natsume looked extremely annoyed, but he decided to let it go.

_For now._

"Oi," he said in an intimidating tone of voice. "Quit with the childish games already. We only have ten hours left, so hurry up so I can go back to my dorm."

"All right already," Mikan said, rubbing her head. "Hey… I think I have a headache. It seems like the ground is shaking and the world is spinning right before my very eyes."

"That's because there really _is_ an earthquake, moron," Hotaru said tonelessly.

Mikan blinked, staring at Hotaru in pure disbelief. "You're joking, right? _Right_, Hotaru?"

Hotaru stared back and spoke in a monotone, "Do I _look_ like I'm joking, Mikan?"

"…You're right."

"It's like something big is running loose," Ruka analyzed, looking around. "Something _very_ big."

"A giant?" Hotaru said, looking a bit interested.

"…I don't think there are any giants here in the Northern Woods."

"A giant chick?" Mikan said, remembering Piyo.

"…Maybe."

"Shut up," Natsume said, staring at something behind Mikan. "Or else it'll hear you."

"What?" Mikan said, confused. "Hear me? I don't understand."

"Uh, Sakura…" Ruka said, sweating profusely. "I think you should look behind you…"

"Huh?" Mikan turned around and saw…

…a giant spider with fangs.

Mikan froze completely in place. _NANI?! What… What is that thing?! And what is that fluid dripping from its mouth?_

_Poison…?_

…

…_Uh oh._

She thought about using her water alice, but decided against it. After all, spiders wouldn't be stopped by water.

She then thought of Natsume.

_NO! He must NOT use his alice! I won't let him!_ She immediately turned to Natsume. "Natsume!" she yelled. "Don't use your alice on it, okay?"

Natsume stared at her. "Then how can we stop it?" he said sarcastically. "Give it a bath?"

"Har har, very funny," Mikan said sarcastically.

Hotaru got out her Baka Gun and sent invisible punches to the shrieking spider. "That's for you looking so ugly," she said cruelly.

Ruka backed away from her. "I—Imai…"

"_What_?" Hotaru snapped, annoyed. She was still focused on the spider.

"…You're not planning to kill it, right?"

"Of course not." After the spider stumbled on the ground, she stopped shooting. "After all, this gun can't kill anybody, let alone an animal. It will only result in external wounds."

_Yeah, it didn't even kill me_, Mikan thought.

"Let's go," Hotaru said, walking towards the deepest part of the forest. "We have nine hours left."

"Hai!" Mikan said, following her. Then, after a few seconds, she stopped walking. "Hold on! What about the spider? Should we just leave it there?"

"What else should we do?" Hotaru said. "Kill it?"

"No! I didn't mean that."

"Then we should just leave it there. It can take care of itself."

"Okay then…"

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

When they reached the deepest part of the forest, Mikan stomped her foot on the ground and left a footprint. "There," she said triumphantly. "We're done!"

"No, we're not," Hotaru said.

"Eh?"

"We still have to go back."

"HUH? Are you kidding me? Go back?! Isn't Narumi-sensei coming to pick us up?"

"No, he's not."

"How would you know that?"

"Because he's testing us," Hotaru said, looking at Ruka and Natsume. "You two are also in on this, right?"

Ruka's eyes widened. "What are you talking about, Imai? We were only asked to accompany you two…"

"You're right," Natsume said.

Ruka turned to him, surprised. "Natsume?"

Natsume continued to stare at Hotaru. "We _are_ in on this."

Hotaru took out her Baka Gun and aimed it at Natsume. Natsume conjured up a fireball on his hand.

"_Hey_!" Mikan shouted. "Why did it come to this? Snap out of it!"

"Mikan, you take care of bunny boy there," Hotaru said.

"Ruka, you take care of that polka dot girl," Natsume said.

"Eh?" Mikan and Ruka said in unison.

_How could I fight against Ruka-pyon?! Hotaru, what's gotten into your head?!_ Mikan thought despairingly, staring at her best friend and boyfriend ready to attack each other.

Hotaru shot the gun and at the same time, Natsume threw the fireball towards her.

Mikan ran over to Natsume and received the punch instead while Ruka ran towards Hotaru and was hit by the fireball.

"_Mikan_?" Hotaru said, her expression revealing genuine surprise.

"_Ruka_!?" Natsume said, his eyes wide.

"Ruka-pyon!" Mikan cried, noticing the fire burning on his clothes. She immediately used her water alice to extinguish it. "Ruka-pyon, are you all right?"

Ruka gripped his shoulder. "I—I'm fine." He stared at the bruise on her side. "Are you all right, Sakura? That bruise…"

"Ah, this?" Mikan smiled. "I'm fine! It doesn't hurt much, anyway."

"Mikan!" Hotaru said suddenly, her voice tinged with surprise. "It's _healing_!"

Mikan froze for a moment, then looked at the part where she had been hit by Hotaru's gun.

_It's all healed!_ Mikan thought, completely bewildered. _What's going on?!_

"Oh, so you have the Healing alice, too, Mikan-chan?" a voice said.

"Narumi-sensei!" Mikan said.

Narumi smiled. "How rare. You possess the nullification, water, and healing alice. _Three_ alices."

_You mean six alices…_ Mikan thought absently.

"Well, anyway, you two passed the test!" Narumi announced, grinning. "You both receive double stars."

"Really!?" Mikan said, her eyes sparkling. _It's my first time receiving _two_ stars! Wow!_

"Oh, and let me tell you one thing," Narumi said, looking at Natsume and Ruka. "Those two weren't in on this test. Natsume just possibly said that so that you two could use your alices. Isn't that right, Natsume?"

"Hmph." Natsume turned his back on him and walked away. Ruka followed him.

"Natsume!" Mikan called out.

Natsume didn't stop walking.

"_Hey_! When people are talking to you, the least you could do is just listen!" she yelled.

Natsume stopped, annoyed. "What is it now, polka dots?"

Mikan ran over to him and touched his shoulder. "Thank you!" she said, smiling.

He shrugged away her touch. "For what? You're so annoying."

Mikan's smile never faltered. "For helping us!"

"Tch. Let's go, Ruka."

As Mikan watched them walk away, she thought of the unexpected scenes happening in the academy and wished she came half a year later.

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

"THAT GIRL…" NATSUME SAID slowly.

"You mean Sakura?" Ruka said, looking at him. "What about her?"

"I've got a feeling that she has seven alices."

Ruka's eyes widened. "How—"

"Never mind," Natsume said. "It's just a theory."

_I wish I came half a year later…_

Natsume jolted.

"Natsume? What's wrong?"

_What should I do? I don't know what kind of scenes will happen later on… Will it still be the same? Or not?_

_Oh no. What should I do, mom? Dad?_

Natsume listened closely. _This voice… _he thought.

_I guess all I can do now is go with the flow…_

"Ruka."

His best friend stared at him, confused. "Yeah?"

"Does that girl have a Telepathy alice?"

"Huh? Didn't Narumi-sensei say that she only has three alices? And is having more than three alices really possible?"

Natsume became silent for a moment. Then, when he spoke, his voice was tinged with determination. "I'm going to find out if she does have more than three alices. Then I'll force her to say who she really is."

* * *

**END** _of_ **CHAPTER 5**  
TO BE CONTINUED


	6. ღChapter 6: Sharing Roomsღ

**Just One Chance**  
Chapter 6  
**Sharing Rooms**

* * *

"IMAI HOTARU. SAKURA MIKAN," Narumi said, smiling. "Sorry for saying this just now, but, oh well. I formally welcome you two to Gakuen Alice. It's our pleasure to have you here. You two will be able to attend classes officially from tomorrow onwards. We will have you stay in the dorms starting today. Please share a room with somebody while we decide a room for you."

"Share a room?" Mikan wondered aloud. "But with who…?"

Narumi had a sly grin on his face. "Oh, that's right. Both of you are new to the school and don't know anyone yet. So…"

_Why do I somehow feel that something really mischievous will come out from this idiot's mouth…?_ Hotaru thought, studying Narumi carefully.

"So… You will share with your partners' room!" Narumi said cheerfully.

For Mikan, it felt like the whole world came crashing down on her while for Hotaru, her calmness seemed to be dissipating little by little.

"What… _What did you just say_?!" Mikan cried, panicking. "I… I don't want to share a room with… with…"

Hotaru glared at Narumi. "You'd better prepare yourself…"

"Wait, wait!" Narumi said quickly, raising his arms as a sign of surrender. "Let me explain first. I've already arranged for couches to be brought inside their rooms. Therefore, one person will sleep on the couch while the other one will sleep on the bed. You can talk to your partner about who will get the bed or the couch."

Hotaru's eyes sparkled. "Bunny boy will be sleeping on the couch. I will make sure of that."

_Aaw! Hotaru is so lucky! Her partner is Ruka-pyon!_ Mikan thought, pouting. _While my partner… Oh man… I know that he will take the bed, I just know it!_

"What about you, Mikan?" Hotaru said, turning to her. She caught the despair on Mikan's face and knew what she was somber about. She thought about something for a moment, then spoke. "Well, according to my observations about your partner, there's absolutely no doubt that you will take the couch. Good luck sleeping, then."

"_Hotaruu_!" Mikan cried. "Help me!"

"It's your bad luck that your partner is an arrogant guy," Hotaru said calmly.

"Can't we just switch partners?"

"No way." Hotaru had a glint in her eye. "Besides, I have a feeling that that bunny boy will come in handy for blackmailing."

_Uh oh… Poor Ruka-pyon…_

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

"NO."

Mikan gave Natsume her best puppy-eyed look. "But Narumi-sensei said that we should share a room with our partner—"

"_No_." Natsume's voice held a tone of finality.

Hotaru gave Ruka a look that said, '_Say no and I will personally distribute the photo of you hugging Mikan to everyone in this school_'.

"_Uh_…" Ruka looked like a trapped animal in a cage. "Well… Okay, you can share a room with me."

Hotaru gave Mikan a triumphant look. Mikan groaned.

"Why won't you agree?" Mikan asked Natsume, her eyes flaring. "I didn't do anything to you, right?"

"You annoy me," he said simply.

"Well, you annoy me, too, you know." Mikan then thought of something mischievous and smiled at Natsume. "Ne, Natsume!"

The latter stared at her with a hint of wariness in his eyes.

"Remember the photo when we were sleeping? Your face was really close to mine, you know? Oh, and I also forgot to tell you that I woke up at 3:00 AM in the morning at that time because you were really drooling and snoring a lot so I took a picture—"

"_Fine_," Natsume interrupted, looking very annoyed. "Just make sure that you sleep on the couch."

Mikan turned to Hotaru, grinning widely. "I did it!"

"Was all that you said true?" Hotaru and Ruka asked, interested.

"_Nope_!" Mikan said, laughing. "I guess he just got tired of listening to me and gave in."

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

"THE COUCH HAS ALREADY been brought in," Natsume said, tilting his head towards the direction where the couch was placed. Mikan stared at it for a very long time.

The couch was fluffy and soft, but that wasn't what Mikan was bothered about. It was the lacy frills that were sticking out from the couch's mattress, the red lollipop-and-teddy-bear designs all over it, and the candy swirls drawn on the cover of the two pillows.

It looked very _childish_.

"E—Etto…" Mikan stammered, not knowing what to say. "It's a bit…"

"You sure do complain a lot," Natsume remarked, walking over to his bed.

"Hey, I'm not complaining!" Mikan said, defending herself. "I was just… Uh… Well…"

Natsume was staring at her, a bored expression on his face. "Well?" he said.

Mikan gave up trying to reason out to him. "It's nothing."

"Anyway," he said. "Don't make any weird noises while you're sleeping, got it?"

"Okay, okay, I get it."

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

IT WAS 4:00 AM IN the morning when Mikan was suddenly awakened by a strange panting sound. Curious, she sat up straight and looked around the room. The windows were open slightly, but the cold breeze still managed to get inside, making the temperature go down a little. Mikan was tempted to close them because the air-conditioner was still on, but she was too scared to even get off the couch.

_It's so dark_, she thought, shivering. _I can't see anything clearly except for the night view outside the windows. But now my question is, what's making that kind of sound?_

As she listened closely, she silently concluded that it was definitely a human being who was just breathing heavily and groaning—

—_in his sleep._

Realization suddenly hit her in the face. _Natsume!_

She got off the couch almost immediately, forgetting all about her fears and desperately trying to find the love of her life inside the dark room. She couldn't see very well so she used her hands to grab at or feel something near her.

Her hands caught something soft and she decided that she had successfully grabbed his mattress. She climbed up on the bed, reaching towards Natsume, who was groaning in his sleep.

"Ssh… Natsume…" she said softly, stroking his silky black hair. "Are you feeling okay?"

_This feels like a replay of that time in New Year's Eve…_ Mikan thought. _Only, this scene's a different version._

Natsume was still panting heavily like he was being chased by someone. Mikan touched his cheeks. They were hot.

"Natsume," she said, her voice tinged with concern. "Wake up. It's just a nightmare. Please open your eyes." She tried hard to make her voice sound gentle, soothing. She even tried not to panic too much.

"…What are you doing?" Natsume mumbled, his eyes slightly open. His face was filled with beads of sweat.

"You were having a nightmare," she said softly. "Your groans woke me up. Are you all right now?" She was looking at him with a worried expression on her face.

Natsume was silent for a moment. Then, when he spoke, his voice was unusually quiet. "Who are you really? You're confusing me."

Mikan stared at him in surprise. "Huh? I'm confusing you? What do you mean?"

"You have seven alices, don't you?"

She looked at him with wide eyes. "_Eh_?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Natsume said, staring at her, his expression unreadable. "I know you only have three alices. The other four are only temporary."

_Damn, Natsume! Why do you have to be so observant?! Why, why?_ Mikan thought, desperately thinking about what she should say.

"But you don't have any proof yet," she said finally, her voice trembling slightly.

She had to admit that she was a terrible liar.

But then maybe it was because she preferred telling the truth rather than telling a lie.

"What makes you think that, anyway?" she added shakily.

Natsume looked at her, their eyes meeting each other. Suddenly the room grew quiet and the atmosphere became a bit intense.

"Have you been speaking inside my mind lately?" he asked, still not breaking eye contact with her.

Mikan blushed instantly. She shook her head wildly, not allowing herself to reveal the truth to Natsume… _yet_.

"What are you talking about?" Mikan said, laughing nervously. "Honestly, Natsume, you can be so paranoid at times!"

"I know I'm right."

Mikan stopped laughing. The smile on her face faltered. "Natsume, listen to me," she said, deciding not to tell him the truth even if it means risking her own life. "I only have three alices: water, nullification, and healing. These are my own alices."

"Since you insist so much, I'll let it go this time," Natsume said quietly. "But remember this, I will still keep on knowing who you really are. I won't give up trying."

Mikan smiled. "Sure. Go ahead."

Natsume stared at her for a long moment. "…Wait a minute. _What the hell are you doing in my bed_?"

Mikan paled. "Uh… Well… You see…" Her eyes suddenly flared. "_Hey_! I explained it to you earlier! Don't you remember? Or were you too sleepy to listen to me?"

"The second one," he said flatly.

"Why didn't you tell me that you didn't hear a thing I was telling you?!"

"Too noisy…" Natsume muttered. He grabbed a pillow and threw it at Mikan, who was too shocked to even throw it back at his face. "Can you get off my bed now?" he said.

"Ne, Natsume…" Mikan fidgeted. "Can… Can I sleep with you…?"

Natsume glared at her and she flinched. "Go back to your own sleeping place, _ugly_."

_The old nickname's back!_ Mikan thought angrily. "Hey, you nasty fox! I was asking nicely, but you didn't even consider my request! Can't you see that I'm afraid of the dark?!"

Natsume looked at her but didn't say anything.

Mikan groaned, realizing what she just said. "I'm sorry," she said, brushing her bangs away from her face. "I didn't mean to yell. It's just that… I'm really afraid."

Natsume turned his back on her and moved to the left side of the bed. "Fine," he said. "Just don't come near me."

"Really?" Mikan said, bewildered. "Thank you! Thank you, Natsume!"

"Just shut up, you annoying ugly girl."

"What did you say, you nasty fox?!"

* * *

**END** _of_ **CHAPTER 6**  
TO BE CONTINUED


	7. ღChapter 7: How Tiringღ

**Just One Chance**  
Chapter 7  
**How Tiring**

* * *

_Ruka's Room_

* * *

RUKA STARED AT THE couch before him. It had rabbit designs all over it and the mattress and pillows were pink. There were also white frills sticking out from the mattress (just like Mikan's).

_Narumi-sensei…_ Ruka thought gloomily. _It_ has_ to be him. _He's_ the mastermind behind this…_

"Ooh, they sure picked a cute one for you, pyon-pyon," Hotaru said, smiling sweetly. "It suits you very well."

_Pyon-pyon?_ Ruka looked at her incredulously. "Imai… Could you… Uh… Can you replace this… this…"

"Sorry, I can't," Hotaru said, sitting on his bed. "This bed of yours sure is comfortable. I'm sure that I'll be having good dreams tonight."

_What about me? Nightmares?_ Ruka sighed. He knew that there was no point in trying to persuade Hotaru any further. "Guess I'll just go to sleep, then…" he muttered, walking over to the switch near the door. He took a quick glance at Hotaru, who was instantly asleep on his bed. She looked very peaceful.

_I envy her…_ Ruka thought, turning the lights off.

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

RUKA WAS HAVING TROUBLE sleeping. First of all, the couch was too small. Second, the mattress wasn't very soft. Third, he felt very cold.

The air-conditioner was on, so it was natural that the temperature in the room would be lower than normal. But that wasn't Ruka's problem. His problem was that he doesn't have a blanket to cover himself up and keep him warm. For a moment, he was tempted to turn off the air-conditioner, but he knew better than that. Hotaru _loved_ the air-conditioner. He wouldn't dare turn it off even if he was given a million rabbits.

_What should I do now?_ Ruka thought, shivering from the cold. _Should I just let myself freeze in here or grab a blanket from my bed?_

_Hmm…_ _Maybe I could do that. It's my own bed, after all._

He tiptoed quietly towards his bed and grabbed a blanket from the right side, which was the opposite side from Hotaru. She didn't seem to be using it. _She must love the cold so much_, Ruka thought.

When he finally succeeded in getting the blanket, something suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him on the bed.

Ruka stared at Hotaru in disbelief, who was still fast and asleep and clutching his arm. "I—Imai," he stammered nervously. "L—Let go."

Hotaru didn't seem to hear him. Ruka tried again.

"Imai, you're… gripping my arm too tight. Wake up and let go…"

And again, she didn't seem to hear him.

Ruka gave up, sighing. "There's nothing I can do, huh…" he muttered. He pulled the covers up and felt himself getting warm little by little. As he tried to pull away from Hotaru's grasp, his hand accidentally brushed against her side and felt her shivering from the cold.

Ruka's eyes widened. "Ah, _geez_!" He hurriedly searched for another blanket and found one under his pillows. He grabbed it and immediately covered Hotaru with it. "And here I thought that you didn't feel the cold at all…" he muttered.

When the blanket made contact with her body, her shivering slowly subsided. Then, after a silent debate with himself in his head, he reached out to her face tentatively and felt her forehead.

_No fever_.

He let himself collapse on the bed, feeling the softness of his mattress and the cold touch of the pillows on the back of his head and neck. He glanced at his arm, which was still being gripped by Hotaru's warm hand. He tried to pull away from her again.

"Mmm…" she mumbled, loosening her grip on Ruka's arm. She turned her back on him, still sleeping quietly. Ruka stared at her, unsure of what he was going to do next.

"Uh… Imai?"

There was no answer.

"Can I… sleep here for a while? Or should I get back to the couch?"

Silence.

Sighing, Ruka decided to go back to the couch. He was afraid that when Hotaru caught him sleeping beside her, he would feel her wrath upon him and he didn't really want to die so soon.

"…_Stay here_."

Ruka froze.

"Huh?" he wondered aloud. _What did I just hear? Isn't Imai sleeping? So whose voice is that…?_

"_Stay here_, Nogi."

Ruka turned towards Hotaru. She was sitting up in his bed, looking calm and indifferent as ever.

"I thought you were sleeping…?"

"I've never been a good sleeper when I'm sleeping in someone else's room," she said. "Especially if it's in a boy's room."

"Sorry," Ruka said. He didn't understand why he had to apologize to her when he didn't even do anything wrong. "What you said earlier…"

"You heard it clearly, Nogi." Hotaru looked at him with a somewhat soft expression on her face. "I want you to sleep here."

"But I thought you wanted me to—"

"I was just teasing you," she said. "You're fun to blackmail. Anyway, this is the end of our little chat. I'm tired, so let's sleep."

Ruka was still staring at her, bewildered by her unexpected actions.

_Why do I somehow feel that there is a catch…?_

* * *

_The Next Day_

7:45 AM

_Hyuuga Natsume's Room_

* * *

"—AKE UP. OI."

Mikan, still very sleepy, ignored the annoyed voice.

"Oi, ugly girl. _Wake up_!"

Mikan instantly opened her eyes, feeling her blood boil in anger. "Why you nasty—"

Her eyes widened.

"Hurry up and let go," Natsume said, a vein visibly popping on his forehead.

Mikan's hands were gripping his neck.

_I tried to _strangle_ him while he was sleeping?!_ Mikan screamed inside her mind. _Wh—What the heck is going on!?_

"I know you hate me," he said flatly. "And I know that you would very much like to kill me, but I would really appreciate it if I could just live a little longer so that I can kill _you_ before you can kill _me_."

Mikan gulped. "N—Natsume… Really… It wasn't my intention to—"

"Just get your dirty, ugly hands away from my neck."

Mikan's patience reached its boiling point. "WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL MY HANDS?!"

* * *

7:45AM

_Nogi Ruka's Room_

* * *

"I—Imai…" Ruka said as gently as he could. "It's time to wake up… I still have to give you a quick tour of the school before we go to class—"

Hotaru gave him a death glare as her eyes slid open. "_What do you want_?" she said in a dangerous tone.

Ruka flinched. "Uh… Nothing…"

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

MIKAN AND NATSUME MET Ruka and Hotaru in the hallway, looking tired. Natsume had burned her clothes and she frantically had to extinguish them with her water alice.

_It won't be long before all the power in the alice stone will fade away…_ Mikan had thought. _Damn, Natsume!_

She even scolded him about using his alice on useless matters.

"Why are you always doing that? You have to preserve your alice for emergency situations!" she said angrily.

"Shut up. You sound like an old hag."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

And they started to fight again after that.

Meanwhile, with Ruka and Hotaru, Ruka managed to wake her before 8am and she had been glaring daggers at him ever since. Ruka, terrified of what she might do to him, tried his best to satisfy her in any way he could. He even volunteered to be her slave for only 5 hours.

"Really?" she had said gleefully. "Okay!"

Ruka was really getting tired of saving his own life from her.

Now the four of them were finally together after what seemed to be like centuries.

"Hotaruu!" Mikan cried, running over to her best friend. "I'm so glad to see you, Hotaru!"

"Finally," Natsume said. "After that horrible experience with polka dots, I don't think I will be able to sleep again."

"Like I said, I didn't mean it!" Mikan said defensively.

Natsume ignored her and turned to Ruka. "You all right? You look a little tired."

"I am," Ruka replied, sighing. "I feel like my whole body is battered from head to toe."

"She's _that _bad, huh?"

"Yeah. I was even surprised that I got to sleep so peacefully…"

_Why do I somehow feel that their conversation seems to be a little… Uh… I don't know… _Mikan thought.

"Do we really have to give them a tour of the school?" Natsume said, looking annoyed.

"Yeah, we don't have any choice…"

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

AFTER THE QUICK TOUR, the two boys led them to their classroom.

"This is our classroom. So do you know where it is now?" Ruka asked, opening the door.

A high-pitched scream greeted them the moment they walked in.

"Ruka-kun, Natsume-kun, good morning!" Sumire said.

"Ah, Imai-san and Sakura-san, right?" Yuu said, smiling. "My name is Tobita Yuu, the class representati—"

"_Iinchou_!" Mikan blurted out. Then, realizing what she had just done, covered her mouth with her hands. "Ah, I mean… Pleased to meet you!"

"Pleased to meet you too, Sakura-san," he said shyly.

"Nice to meet you," Hotaru said absently.

Two girls then approached them.

"Hello, Hotaru-chan, Mikan-chan," a girl with long dark hair greeted. "My name is Nonoko."

"And my name is Anna," the other girl with long pink hair said, smiling.

"Nice to meet you!" Mikan said, smiling back.

_I never knew how much I missed my friends…_

* * *

**END** _of_ **CHAPTER 7**  
TO BE CONTINUED


	8. ღChapter 8: Alice-based Classesღ

**Just One Chance**  
Chapter 8  
**Alice-based Classes**

* * *

DAYS PASSED, AND SUDDENLY, without warning, it was Saturday.

_Today is the day of the week that the elementary and junior divisions have classes together…_ Mikan remembered. _Well, maybe because of my nullification, they will still place me in the Special Ability Class…_

_Tsubasa-senpai… Misaki-senpai… Tono-senpai… Kaname-senpai… I miss them already…_

"In Alice Academy, classes based on alices are separated into four types, where students explore their powers in their designated classes," Narumi explained to Hotaru and Mikan.

"Four types?" Hotaru inquired.

"Well, it's actually five categories," Narumi said. "Even with elementary, junior, and high divisions, there are only 200 people in Alice Academy. Since they operate together, the divisions are placed in joint activities like Cultural Arts and Physical Education."

"Most of the children are placed in the departments of predisposition, technology, and active," Narumi continued on. "If you don't fit into those three, you're most likely in special. Let me explain them briefly."

Hotaru stared at him blankly. Mikan was staring at him, too, but her mind was wandering elsewhere.

"The first one is 'predisposition'. Most people in the school are in this type. Common powers belong to this class. All of them are traditional alices, so it's the most normal class, and everyone is very serious."

"I'm in this class," Yuu said, smiling.

"By the way," Hotaru piped up, "what is Iinchou's alice?"

"He has the alice of illusion," Narumi said, smiling. "Okay, now, let's go back to my explanation. Next is the 'technology' type. Just like its name, any experiment can create an alice level. Most students are involved in their individual work, so it's a more quiet class… Very individualistic!"

"Next is 'active'," he continued on. "That's like me and Ruka-kun, more involved with pheromones or active alices. As a benignant type, this alice is not forced with inventions or practice, unlike other classes."

"Bunny boy's alice has something to do with pheromones?" Hotaru said. "You, too, sensei?"

"Oh, I forgot," Narumi said, scratching the back of his head. "I didn't mention it to you two, right? My alice is 'pheromonal inclination'. I have an ability to allure people with my pheromones regardless of gender."

Hotaru slowly backed away from him. "That's so creepy," she blurted out.

"Ah, wait! I can control them with the help of my earring, so there's really nothing to worry about," Narumi assured quickly.

"An _earring_ can help you control your alice?" Hotaru said skeptically.

"It's an Alice-sealing earring," Narumi explained. "It is a device that can suppress alices that get out of control. Like my pheromones."

"I see," Hotaru said tonelessly. "What about bunny boy's alice?"

Narumi chuckled. "He has the animal pheromone alice."

"No wonder he always carries a rabbit with him…"

A man with short, dark hair was passing by and overheard their conversation. "Let me add something interesting about Narumi's alice," he said. "If a child inexperienced in love gets showered by his pheromones, he or she will become totally weak and may even faint." He turned to Narumi. "Isn't that right?"

Narumi laughed. "Ah, Misaki-sensei. Please don't scare off the children."

"I'm not scaring them. _You're_ scaring them." Then he walked off, holding a potted plant.

"Who's he?" Hotaru asked.

"He's Misaki, the Biology teacher. He doesn't like me very much," Narumi said, chuckling.

Hotaru maintained a distance between her and Narumi. "Sensei, please continue."

Narumi sweatdropped. "Well… Okay." _You don't always have to be on guard when you're with me…_ he thought. "The last one is the 'special energy' alices. Basically, it's for students with alices that don't fit in any of the other three classes. The powers are different and the class is mixed. It is the smallest class. It could be described as chaotic or peculiar… The point is that most people see it as a class for 'leftovers'."

"Sensei, what class am I?" Hotaru asked.

"You're in 'technology' alice." He turned to Mikan. "While you, Mikan-chan, are in—"

"I'm in 'special', right?" Mikan said suddenly.

"Yes, how did you know?" Narumi said, looking a bit surprised.

"I just know!" Mikan said, grinning.

"Oh, before you two go to your classes," Narumi said. "I still have something to tell you. There is an extra type. It's called the 'dangerous ability' class. No matter what type he or she originally is, if his or her attitude and power are considered 'dangerous' by the school, he or she will be in that class." Narumi's expression turned serious. "It is very different from the other four classes. It could be described as occult… What goes on there… is a mystery. The class type has more or less something to do with the teacher in charge, but in that class, it's even stronger."

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

WHILE MIKAN WAS WALKING towards her class, she was thinking hard about her goal.

_What should I do about the ESP? How can I defeat him? What can I do in this level?_

"Why should you defeat the principal?" a voice asked curiously.

Mikan was jolted out of her thoughts and turned to the source. As expected, it was Koko, who had that same smile on his face. Panic instantly erupting inside her, she thought frantically about what she was going to do.

"Ah, Koko, right?" Mikan said, forcing a smile on her face. "Can… Can you come here for a moment? I—I'll explain everything!"

Koko obediently went over to her. "You're the new girl, right? Sumire won't shut up about it. She's going on and on about you being Natsume's partner and your best friend being Ruka's partner."

"Uh, yeah… Well…" Mikan was sweating profusely. _I hope this will work!_ "Hey, Koko… Can you… disregard what you heard in my thoughts earlier? It's… kind of a secret that everyone mustn't know…"

"Why is that?" he asked.

"Because…" Mikan gave him a pleading look. "Please, Koko. I'll do everything you want me to do. Just don't tell anyone! Please! It's very important that nobody must know. I'm trying to protect you all. Please understand and don't read my mind anymore. Please… I'm begging you…"

Koko stared at her for a long moment, then nodded. "Sure. If it's really that important, then I won't read your mind anymore."

"Really?" Mikan said, feeling hopeful again. "You mean it? Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"In exchange, you have to explain it all to me when the time comes because I feel very confused."

"Okay!"

"Ah, and Mikan?"

"Yes?"

"I don't think I can handle not reading your mind," he said sheepishly. "But if I know your secret, I still won't tell anyone."

"It's fair!" Mikan said, smiling. "Just as long as when you read my mind, please don't announce my thoughts to everyone around except when it doesn't have anything to do with my secret!"

"Okay. Bye."

_That was close! Good thing Koko's nice!_ Mikan thought happily. _I thought he's just very mischievous, but he really understands my situation!_

As Mikan was about to turn around the corner, Natsume suddenly appeared, looking sweaty and breathless.

"Whoa!" Mikan said in surprise. _Déjà vu!_

"What—" Natsume started to say.

"So you're here…" a familiar voice said.

Natsume immediately covered Mikan's mouth with his hand and dragged her behind a load of hollow blocks.

"Say one word…" Natsume whispered in her ear, "a_nd I'll kill you_."

_How creepy… Completely déjà vu!_

"Natsume!" the familiar voice called out. "I suggest you answer me if you're here..."

_Persona! _Mikan realized, her eyes wide.

"...Natsume."

_It's Persona!_

A few minutes after Persona left, Natsume finally let go of her. Mikan struggled to breathe normally.

"That was close," Mikan said, turning to him. "Are you hurt anywhere, Natsume? You don't look all right."

Natsume looked surprised for a fleeting moment, then the serious expression went back to his face. He just didn't expect that kind of reaction from her. When someone drags you around, covers your mouth, and doesn't offer you an explanation, you should be angry, right?

He turned his back on her and started to walk away. Mikan ran over to him and smacked his head.

"HEY! IF SOMEONE IS WORRIED ABOUT YOU, THE LEAST YOU COULD DO IS SAY THANK YOU!" Mikan roared.

He turned around to face her. "Tch. You stupid, noisy, ugly girl," he remarked in annoyance.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

"Eh? Isn't that Natsume?" a voice said. "Cutting classes with a woman? You're really something."

Mikan jolted as she recognized the person._ Permy's onii-san!_

"What? You ignoring us?" he said.

Like with Mikan, Natsume turned his back on him and started to walk away.

"Wait a sec, _murderer_…"

Mikan's hands tightened into fists.

"Let me make this clear. 'Dangerous' types aren't cool with us. Everyone says you're a genius, and so you get cocky… Get with it, man!"

When Natsume didn't say anything, Sumire's brother added, "You're special, all right. But only because that mask fits you well!"

Natsume lighted a fire on his sleeve in a split second, sending him into a panicked state.

"Whoa! That jerk… Somebody call for the mask—"

Mikan couldn't hold it in anymore. "_Stop it_!" she cried. She turned to Sumire's brother. "How dare you call him a murderer when you don't even know the whole story?!"

"Shut up, little girl!"

"I won't! Try to put yourself in his shoes for a moment and you'll know how painful it is to have others call you that!" Mikan's expression slowly turned soft. "I'm sorry for yelling at you like that, senpai, but it's the truth…"

Natsume turned his head slowly towards her. "Oi, polka dots."

"Eh?" Mikan turned to him.

"Don't stick your nose in other people's business," he said coldly. Then he walked off, leaving Mikan with the students from the Junior section.

_THAT JERK!_ Mikan thought, feeling her blood boil in rage. _I HATE YOU, HYUUGA NATSUME!_

"Well, well… So what should we do with her, now?"

Mikan gulped. _Tsubasa-senpaiii! Help..._

"Let's mess her up!"

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

_EH? IT'S SO NOISY here!_ a boy with dark-blue hair and eyes thought. He was sleeping on a tree branch and was awakened by loud shouts._ Should I tell them to shut up?_

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

"LET ME GO!" MIKAN yelled, struggling against her captor's grip.

"Just let her go!" Sumire's brother's classmate said.

"Nah, seems like he's enjoying it," Sumire's brother said. "What a pedophile…"

Suddenly he froze in place. "Ah! I can't move…"

At that moment, Tsubasa appeared behind them. "You guys are actually interested in bullying little girls!" he exclaimed.

_Tsubasa-senpai!_ Mikan thought, completely relieved.

"Are you okay, little girl?" Tsubasa asked her.

"I—I'm fine…" Mikan said.

"You guys noticed?" Tsubasa said, turning to the others. "But it's too late. You're all in my shadow already."

"TSUBASA!"

"Trash of the Junior Division…" Sumire's brother spat. "You think you don't have to face the consequences?"

"If I am a piece of trash…" Tsubasa said, standing up. Then he made them slip on the floor using his shadow. "Then what do you think you are?"

After writing '_one hour of dancing_' on his shadow, he walked over to Mikan. "Little devil, you should be on your way to your alice-based class! Which one? I'll take you there."

"Ah!" Mikan said. "I belong to the Special Ability Class!"

"Ah? You're the new girl in Special? You're Natsume's partner?"

"Hai!"

"So it's like that!" he said, ruffling her hair affectionately. "You should've said so. I am in Special, too. Andou Tsubasa, Shadow Alice. Nice to meet you, _kouhai_."

"I'm Sakura Mikan!"

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

TSUBASA STARTED TO OPEN the door to their classroom.

"Uh, Tsubasa-senpai…" Mikan said. "Maybe you should—"

But Tsubasa had already opened the door and as expected, was thrown in the head by a can of paint.

"YOU'RE LATE, TSUBASA!" a female voice roared.

_Ah… Misaki-senpai…_ Mikan thought, smiling inwardly.

"_Harada_! You—" Tsubasa started to say.

"How many times must I say this? There's a new kid today!" Misaki said angrily. "I told everyone to get here early to prepare…" She spotted Mikan. "Huh?"

"He-Hello…" Mikan said.

Misaki laughed nervously. "Tsubasa, if you were gonna bring her here, you should've said so!" She guided Mikan inside. "We'll start over. Welcome to Special."

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

THE NEXT DAY, MIKAN introduced Tsubasa to her friends and after that, she felt like there was something she forgot and went to her classroom.

"Why do I feel like I've forgotten something?" Mikan thought aloud.

Hotaru appeared behind her. "What are you pacing back and forth for, idiot?"

"I feel like I've forgotten something important! Hotaru, please help me remember!" Mikan pleaded.

"I know what it is," Hotaru said flatly.

"You do?" Mikan said inquisitively. "Tell me!"

"You've forgotten to tell your grandfather that you'll be enrolling in Gakuen Alice, am I right?"

Mikan's jaw dropped open.

_JII-CHAN!_

* * *

**END** _of_ **CHAPTER 8**  
TO BE CONTINUED


	9. ღChapter 9: Suspicionsღ

**Just One Chance**  
Chapter 9  
**Suspicions**

* * *

"SO, WHAT YOU'RE SAYING is," Narumi said slowly, "you want me to send a letter to your grandfather in person?"

Mikan nodded.

Narumi looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, it's not really that easy, Mikan-chan…"

A puppy-dog look slowly came over Mikan's face. "But… Narumi-sensei…"

Narumi grinned. "Just kidding. Where's your letter? I'll deliver it in a few days."

Mikan's face lit up. "Really? _You will_? Thank you! Thank you, Narumi-sensei!"

Narumi smiled warmly. "You're welcome, Mikan-chan."

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

"DID IT WORK?" HOTARU asked, coming up behind Mikan.

"Yes," Mikan said, smiling.

Hotaru stared at her for a long moment. "You've become a little mature."

Mikan blushed. "Really?"

"No, I was just joking." Hotaru turned her back on her best friend and walked away.

"_Eh_? Hotaru! Wait!" Mikan called out, running after her.

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

THE NEXT DAY, MIKAN walked around the school grounds in deep thought.

"_Minamasdan kita  
Nang hindi mo alam  
Pinapangarap kong ikaw ay akin…"_

_Huh?_ Mikan thought, snapping out of her trancelike state. _What a beautiful voice!_

"_Mapupulang labi  
At matinkad mong ngiti  
Umaabot hanggang sa langit…"_

_What language is this?_ Mikan looked around and saw a boy sitting on a bench. He was singing and looked like he wanted to be alone. Mikan hid behind a tree and listened.

"What are you doing?" a voice said behind her.

"Ah!" Mikan turned around to see Natsume staring at her like she was crazy. "Natsume! I was just… Uh… Listening to him singing…"

Natsume raised an eyebrow.

"_Huwag ka lang titingin sa akin  
At baka matunaw ang puso kong sabik…"_

"Just don't look at me, for my eager heart might melt…" Natsume said slowly.

"Huh? What are you saying?" Mikan said, confused.

"I'm translating it for you, ugly."

"What did you just call me?!"

"_Sa iyong ngiti ako'y nahuhumaling…"_

"I am drawn to your smile…"

Mikan blinked. _Eh…?_

"_At sa tuwing ikaw ay gagalaw  
Ang mundo ko'y tumitigil  
Para lang sayo_

_Ang awit ng aking puso…"_

"And every time you move, my world stops just for you, the song of my heart…"

"_Sana'y mapansin mo rin  
Ang lihim kong pagtingin…"_

"I hope you will notice my secret admiration for you…"

"_Sa iyong ngiti ako'y nahuhumaling  
At sa tuwing ikaw ay lalapit  
Ang mundo ko'y tumitigil  
Ang pangalan mo sinisigaw ng puso  
Sana'y madama mo rin  
Ang lihim kong pagtingin…"_

"I am drawn to your smile… And every time you come near me, my world stops. My heart shouts your name… I hope you'll feel my secret admiration for you."

Mikan was aware of the fact that a red blush crept upon her cheeks.

_Idiot! He's not saying that to you!_

Natsume noticed her uneasiness and sighed. He walked past her and started to leave.

"Natsume? Natsume, wait!"

He stopped walking. "What is it now, polka?"

Mikan fidgeted. "Well… You see… Hotaru brought a lot of strawberries from her home and couldn't finish them all so she asked me to help her…"

"And what does that have anything to do with me?"

"Will you… help me eat them?"

"_No_."

"Aaw, Natsume! Come on! Please?"

"No."

"I won't bother you anymore after this, I promise!"

"No."

"Natsume!"

"No."

"But…"

"No."

Mikan took a deep breath. "All right, I'm going to have to use force!" She dashed over to him and grabbed his arm.

"What do you think you're doing?" Natsume said in a dangerous tone.

_I just want to be with you after you just died on me! Is that wrong?_ Mikan thought stubbornly. But she tried her best not to burst out her feelings and continued to drag Natsume towards Hotaru's room.

"Don't use your alice, okay?" Mikan said, trying her best to sound cheerful.

"…" Natsume stared at her.

"W—What…? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"You're weird," he said bluntly.

"Eh?"

"Why won't you let me use my alice?"

_Uh oh._

Mikan thought hard. "Well… Because…"

_Someone help me…_

"Mikan?" Hotaru said. "What are you two doing here?"

Mikan's eyes lit up. "Hotaru!" _Hotaru, you're my saviour!_ "We came here to finish all your strawberries!"

Hotaru stared at Natsume. "…I didn't know Hyuuga liked strawberries."

"I don't like them. I _hate_ them," Natsume said, annoyed.

"Then _why_ did you come here?"

"Because ugly here wouldn't let go of my arm."

Hotaru turned to Mikan. "Mikan, don't tell me you have feelings for Hyuuga here."

Mikan's face turned bright red. "Ah, no, no, _no_! It's not like that!" _Even if it _is_ like that… Well… _Ugh_…_

Hotaru had a glint in her eye. "Why such an outburst? I was just messing with you."

Mikan gulped. _Hotaru, you sneak!_ "W—Where are the strawberries?" Mikan asked immediately, trying to get them off the subject.

"Over there." Hotaru pointed towards a table with a bowl of strawberries on it. "Help yourselves."

"Okay!" Mikan dragged Natsume with her and sat down before the table. "Yum! They look delicious!"

She took one strawberry and ate it. She looked at Natsume, who was looking like he wanted to strangle her any minute now.

Mikan, fearing for her life, tried to persuade him. "Ne, Natsume, you should eat one!"

"…I hate them."

"Huh? Why?"

"Don't ask."

Mikan thought of something. "Well, do you like chocolate?"

"…"

"You _do_!" Mikan said happily. She skipped towards her bag and took out a chocolate dip. She placed it on the table and took a strawberry.

Hotaru stared at her in interest.

Mikan dipped the strawberry in chocolate and handed it to Natsume.

"Try it!"

Natsume, annoyed, ate it so that he wouldn't hear her loud complaining anymore.

"Well?" she said, smiling at him. "It's good, isn't it?"

"…"

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

_HIS WORDS ECHOED THROUGHOUT the room and into her mind._

"_Shut up," he said in a low, dangerous voice._ "_The woman I love…_ _As I see her sink in the same darkness I am in, what damn things might happen in the future…_ _Those types of thoughts can't enter my head now._

"_The future that you guys want… I don't care about that._ _From now on, whatever happens, I'll protect this person._ _Definitely…"_

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

TO MIKAN'S EMBARRASSMENT, SHE blushed. _Why did I suddenly think of that…?_

"Oi, polka dots."

"Huh?" Mikan said, facing him.

"Your face is red."

Mikan instantly panicked. "Ah, no! This is nothing!"

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing!"

"…"

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

_HE LOWERED HIS HEAD, considerably slowing his pace. "With Narumi… Are you going to go outside with him…?"_

_She said nothing, only looking at his back in front of her with wide eyes._

"_This hand… This hand that brought you out of there…_ _I don't want to give this hand of yours to someone else."_

_She didn't—no, _couldn't_—say anything._

"_If only I had the power… In this instant…_ _I want to become an adult so that I can bring you out and run away with you."_

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

MIKAN'S BLUSH GREW DEEPER at her thoughts. _What am I thinking right now?! What's happening to me? Stupid, stupid!_

"You look like you're thinking of someone you love."

Mikan's panic level increased. "I…"

"Who are you really?" Natsume said, resting his chin on his hand.

"Me?" Mikan forced a smile on her face. "I'm just an average girl…"

"No, you're not."

"Eh?"

"There's something about you that's… disturbing."

"Ne, Natsume… Maybe you're falling in love with me?"

Natsume glared at her and she flinched.

"I—I—I was just joking!" Mikan exclaimed, fearing for her life. "S—S—Sorry!"

"…Want me to burn you into a nice crisp?"

"_Wah_! Noo! I already said I'm sorry!"

* * *

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

* * *

"Sakura…?" Ruka said, noticing the black spot on Mikan's sleeve. "What's that…?"

"Natsume burned it," Mikan said, fuming. "That fox! _Hmph_. He has short eyebrows anyway!"

Ruka tried hard not to laugh. "What did you do to him?"

"I just tried to get him to eat strawberries!" Mikan wailed. "We were talking, but then I made a little joke and he… He used his alice on me!"

"Well, Natsume takes jokes seriously most of the time…"

"But he shouldn't go so far as to burn my uniform!"

"Ruka," an annoyed voice called out. "Leave that polka dot girl alone with her misery and come here. I have something to tell you."

"Why you…!" Mikan shouted indignantly. "_Slanted eyes_!"

"Droopy-eyed ugly girl," Natsume said.

"Short eyebrows!"

"Big mouth."

A dangerous aura began to emit across the room. "You fox…" Mikan said furiously. "I'll get you for that!"

"In your dreams, ugly."

_I HATE YOU, HYUUGA NATSUME! Just you wait. When I manage to defeat the ESP and come clean, you're gonna get it!_ Mikan thought in a rage. She turned her back on him and stormed off.

Ruka's eyes widened.

"Ruka?" Natsume said. "What's wrong?"

"An angry voice suddenly reverberated inside my head. It's definitely not my own thoughts…"

Natsume concealed his surprise. "Like… it was someone else's thoughts?"

"…Yeah… I just thought that maybe it was Mikan's, but… How can that be? It's impossible, right?" Ruka's voice was puzzled.

"I have something I have to tell you," Natsume said quietly. "It's about that girl."

* * *

**END** _of_ **CHAPTER 9**  
TO BE CONTINUED


	10. ღChapter 10: The Secret's Outღ

**A/N: **Okay, I changed my mind. Now that college is just around the corner, I think I won't have enough time to actually revise this. However, I fixed some mistakes in the previous chapters, and I'm… well, just a bit satisfied.

So, without further ado, here's chapter ten.

* * *

**Just One Chance**  
Chapter 10  
**The Secret's Out**

* * *

FOUR MONTHS HAVE PASSED, and Mikan was nearly reaching the limit of the power of her water alice. Hotaru became a three-star; Mikan was still a two-star.

"That's so unfair!" Mikan wailed. "I was also aiming to become a three-star…"

"That's because your grades are so low," Hotaru pointed out.

"But… No matter how hard I study, I still flunk!"

"That's because you're stupid to the core," Hotaru said bluntly.

"Ho—Hotaru… That hurts…" _You sound exactly like Shiki-san and Uncle!_ Mikan thought, pouting.

_Wait a second…! Uncle…_

"Is it possible to talk to the High School Principal?" Mikan suddenly asked.

The whole room grew silent.

Hotaru spoke first. "What business do you have with him, Mikan?"

Mikan chose her words carefully. "I have something I want to ask him. Is it okay if I don't tell you about it yet, Hotaru? It's really important."

Hotaru stared at her for a long moment, then nodded. "Okay. But I don't know how you can get to the HSP."

"You could try asking Narumi-sensei," Yuu suggested.

"Hmph. She probably just wants to suck up," Sumire remarked.

"Sumire is just jealous because Mikan is Natsume's partner," Koko piped up.

The goofy smile on his face made Sumire want to throw him inside a garbage can.

"Her thoughts are really evil, so I won't tell it to everyone," he added cheerfully.

Sumire smacked him with a hammer (which came out of nowhere). "_Hey_! Whose side are you on?"

"No one," Koko replied.

Mikan smiled. "I'm going! Bye, everyone!"

When Mikan left the room, Hotaru went over to Ruka and grabbed his arm.

"Eh? Imai?" Ruka inquired, his eyes wide in surprise.

Hotaru didn't say anything and went towards Natsume. She grabbed his arm too and dragged the two of them out of the room.

"Oi," Natsume said, his eyes narrowing. "What do you think you're doing?"

Hotaru let go of their arms, her expression serious. "I've got this weird feeling about Mikan ever since she came to the academy."

At that moment, Ruka remembered his conversation with Natsume four months ago.

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

"_IT'S ABOUT THAT GIRL," Natsume said quietly._

"_Huh?" Ruka said, confused. "What about her?"_

"_It seems like she knows something that I've never told anyone before."_

"…_Something that you didn't tell me, too?"_

_Natsume hesitated. "Yes."_

_After a moment of silence, Ruka smiled. "That's fine with me. If it's something that I shouldn't know, then I'm better off not knowing about it."_

"_That girl…" Natsume said slowly. "She also gives off a mysterious feeling. Like she's already been here before."_

"_But that's not possible, right?"_

"…_I don't know."_

"_Why don't you ask her?"_

"_I don't like her, and I never will. I don't even like talking to her."_

"_Well… Should we ask Imai?"_

"…_I don't like her, too."_

"_Then what should we do? My mind is full of unanswered questions…"_

"_Mine too. But maybe we can figure it out as time passes."_

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

"WHAT KIND OF WEIRD feeling?" Ruka asked curiously.

"It's like she knows something about this academy and is trying to hide it from us," Hotaru replied. "And she seems a little mature, too."

"So why do you talk to us?" Natsume said with a raised eyebrow. "We don't know each other that well."

"I talked to you two because you are the only ones who Mikan seems to be close to."

"We are _not_ close," Natsume denied flatly.

Hotaru ignored him. "Anyway, you heard what she said earlier, right? She's going to talk to the High School Principal. How does she know that the academy has principals in every division? Narumi-sensei didn't even explain that to her yet."

"So you're saying we should follow her," Natsume said.

"Yes."

"But what if she finds us?" Ruka said.

"Then we'll have to hide ourselves properly."

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

"AH! NARUMI-SENSEI!" MIKAN CALLED out.

Narumi turned his head towards her. "Oh, Mikan-chan. What is it?"

"Can I talk to the High School Principal?"

"The High School Principal?" Narumi said, bewildered. "Why do you want to talk to him?"

"Um… It's kind of private…"

Narumi thought about it for a moment. "Okay, I guess I can take you to the High School Division… But Mikan-chan, promise me that you have a good reason for talking to him, okay?"

"I promise."

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

"_THE HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL has the eyes to look through the power of the alice users. Because of his special body and rare alice, he was brought into the school since he was ten, and it had been almost fifty years since then._

"_The High School Principal has the Longevity alice. Since he was young, he was always involved with selfish people who treated him as a God because of his alice._

"_To protect the rare alice from being misused by outsiders, he didn't have any freedom in the academy. Because of his alice, the High School Principal went through all kinds of pain and sufferings. Therefore, he is even more objective than anyone else about the cruel system of the academy._

"_Because of the death of Yukihira, there was a time when the High School Principal hated himself for having the alice that can detect other people's alices. He keeps blaming himself for bringing in all those sacrifices of the academy._

"_Of course, it's the same to all of you._

"_Everyone who comes or leaves the academy is decided by people including the High School Principal. Without knowing, every one of you have this kind of relationship with the High School Principal."_

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

_MAYBE MY COMING HERE was also decided by uncle…_ Mikan thought. _But what if he doesn't know that I'm his brother's daughter yet? What should I do then?_

When Mikan reached the High School Division building, a look of determination was plastered on her face.

_If he still doesn't know, then I will explain it to him._

_I've decided to let uncle know that I came from the future._

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

"SHOULD WE GO INSIDE, too?" Ruka asked.

Mikan had already gone inside the building. The three of them were hiding in the bushes.

"No worries," Hotaru said, taking out a gizmo from her pocket. "I put something on Mikan's uniform earlier. It can allow me to hear what she is going to say to the High School Principal."

"Isn't this an invasion of privacy for Sakura?" Ruka said.

"I'm only trying to figure out what she's so desperately trying to hide from us so that I can help her," Hotaru said. "She doesn't need to bear the burden herself."

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

AS MIKAN ENTERED THE office of the High School Principal, her uncle was already waiting for her.

"He—Hello…" Mikan said awkwardly.

"Hello," her uncle said formally. "And who might you be?"

"I'm Sakura Mikan… _Uncle_…"

The HSP's eyes grew wide. "You…"

"Can I talk to you about something? It's really important," Mikan said with pleading eyes.

Her uncle nodded stiffly. "All right. You can take a seat over there." He pointed to a chair near his desk.

"Thank you."

As the two of them were seated, the HSP spoke. "Now, tell me who you are."

Mikan was ready. "I'm your brother's daughter."

Kazumi stared at her. "You're… Izumi's daughter…? But how did you…"

"How did I know? Well… This is kinda hard to explain, but… I need you to believe me, okay? Please, uncle."

Kazumi nodded.

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

HOTARU COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT she was hearing right now. The thought of Mikan coming here from the future was too much for her. It was like a dream, a dream so impossible that Hotaru couldn't swallow it all. Looking at the other two, it seemed that they felt the same thing.

"What is this…?" Natsume said. "This is…"

"How can it be…? I mean, it's possible, but…" Ruka said.

"Let's just listen," Hotaru said.

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

"THAT'S…" KAZUMI STARTED TO say.

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's the truth!" Mikan pleaded. "Please believe me…"

"I do believe you…" Kazumi said slowly. "But I don't know if I would be able to help you. Is it all right if I tell this to some close associates of mine?"

"You mean Sakurano-senpai and Imai-senpai…?" Mikan blurted out.

"Yes, them."

"Well… That's all right…"

Kazumi stared at her for a long moment with a soft expression on his face. "I see that you've had a heavy load on your shoulders for a long while. You say that you know why your mother joined the organization 'Z'? You also know how your father was killed?"

"Yes," Mikan said. "I also know what the ESP's alice is. He is the root of all evil. The boss of the organization 'Z' is the ESP's clone. I also know why he is slowly retrogressing."

"It's not safe for you to know so much," Kazumi said. "And since you're still an Elementary student, you're under the Elementary School Principal's watch. You should be careful at all times and you should never get caught by the Fuukitai. Do you have any close friends?"

"Yes."

"You should tell them the truth about you, too."

"But..."

"You should tell them so that they can protect you, too," Kazumi said softly. "I won't be able to keep watch on you all the time, but your friends can. You trust them, don't you?"

Mikan nodded.

"Then it's all right." He stood up from his desk. "You should go back to your classroom since it's almost time for your daily lessons. We shall meet again."

Mikan started to go outside his office.

"Oh, and Mikan..."

Mikan turned to him.

Kazumi smiled. "Thank you."

Mikan smiled back.

**.**oo**0**oo**.**

WHEN MIKAN GOT OUT of the High School Division building, Hotaru went over to her and gave her a hug.

"Hotaru?" Mikan said, bewildered. "What are you doing here?"

"You idiot..." she said. "You should've told me the truth..."

Mikan froze. "You know...?"

"Of course I know," she said. "We followed you all the way here. We even heard your conversation with the High School Principal."

"_We_?" Mikan said.

"Yes."

Ruka and Natsume went out of the bushes.

"That was unexpected, Sakura..." Ruka said.

"HUH?" Mikan said, her eyes wide. "_They_ know, too? Hotaru!"

Hotaru let go of her. "You can't handle this alone, Mikan."

After a long moment, Mikan sighed. "All right..."

Hotaru patted her head. "We'll always be here, okay?"

Mikan smiled. "Thank you, everyone."

* * *

**END** _of_ **CHAPTER 10**  
TO BE CONTINUED


End file.
